[BlindKid] Im new to the mailing list

[dhammelia at aol.com]

Risa,         We can relate.  We have twins with micropthalmia.  They are 16.  One is verbal the other is not.We have all also been harmed by one or the other of them.We have tried many different medicines on them.One has been hospitalized twice for extreme aggression mainly to himself putting his head through the wall several times.
The last combination of medicines plus a behavior analysis brought him to a good place where for 6 months he had almost zero aggressions.He also went from being constantly bundled and wearing a helmut to pretty much normal.
He has since gone back to wearing the helmut most of the time and bundling in a blanket Though the aggression has not returned.
He also loves music and baths and stroller rides.
He is our verbal child.
The other child also bundles and since being on medications has not hurt others in a long time.
He sometimes still hits his head but not as often as before.
David Hammel

-----Original Message-----
From: Dr. Risa Shariff via BlindKid <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
To: Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children) <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Dr. Risa Shariff <risa.shariff at gmail.com>
Sent: Tue, Jan 15, 2019 1:33 pm
Subject: Re: [BlindKid] Im new to the mailing list

Hello-

I have an 18 year old with micropthalmia who started to harm himself, my
family and staff at school. He was expelled from the school for the blind.
It was extremely disheartening and seemed to come from nowhere. He is also
non-verbal, has developmental delay and has autism which contributes to his
frustrations.  I cannot emphasize how difficult this situation is to those
who have not experienced it but I know it can get better.

When he is like that we withdraw. He navigates the apartment well and can
find us when he is in that state. It is amazing that he is so strong and
vicious. All of my family had marks from his violent episodes.

 We withdraw all of his pleasures including music (and he loves showers!)
until he is calm for a time. Then we talk to him and explain why it is
inappropriate. Then we return his pleasures after that.

He was given medication by a pediatric Psychiatrist. We see almost no
episodes of aggression now or extremely rarely. We also give melatonin to
regulate his sleep.

I’m praying for peace in your mind as I know the struggle.

Risa Shariff

On Tue, Jan 15, 2019 at 12:56 PM Brigette Dumas via BlindKid <
blindkid at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> Hello,
> I'm new to the community, I have a 5-year-old daughter who was born with
> Septo Optic Dysplasia and has a few other diagnoses as well. Her name is
> Aubree, she struggles with Behavioral issues due to her Autism that she was
> diagnosed with earlier this year. I was wondering if there are any other
> parents in this community with a child who has been diagnosed with autism?
> My daughter struggles with self-harm and is also now harming her father and
> me when she is in meltdown mode. Have any of you experienced this? Maybe
> there are older kiddos that are in the community that have some tips on
> what they personally like for when they're feeling overwhelmed?
> I hope to have some great conversations with you all, and I can't wait to
> hear your stories and share ours as well. We are always looking for parents
> to connect with and share ideas and struggles as well. Thanks so much! I
> hope you have a great day and hope to hear back from some of you.
> -Mommy of a beautiful little girl.
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-- 
Thanks, Dr. Risa Shariff, CI and CT
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